Kathleen earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and her M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of South Florida. She holds a Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida.  Kathleen is also a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant Educator and a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Kathleen has been on the Board of IEATA for many years and now serves as a Board Advisor. She is the proud recipient of the 2023 IEATA Shining Star Award and is an elder and a leader in the global field of Expressive Arts.

A psychotherapist since 1988, Kathleen had a private practice for 30 + years and was a primary therapist and then Clinical Director of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program at the Child Protection Center of Sarasota, for 20 years.

Her transition into the Expressive Arts began when she co-founded the Visions of Hope Project of the Child Protection Center, in 1995, with Ruth Shapiro, LCSW. This innovative project brought artmaking into therapy groups with children who had been sexually abused. The success and inspiration of this project led Kathleen to seek her certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy, and the expressive arts began to permeate her work, both at the Child Protection Center, and in her private practice.

In 1996, Kathleen moved her studio into the Towles Court Art Colony and began expanding her Expressive Arts offerings beyond the therapy setting by creating a variety of workshops bringing the healing aspects of creativity to the general public. In 2000, she and Victoria Domenichello-Anderson opened Inner Visions Studio and Gallery, and, in 2004 they co-created the Art and Healing Certificate Program at Ringling College of Art and Design. In 2007, Kathleen, with Victoria Domenichello-Anderson, Elizabeth Bornstein, and Tamara Teeter Knapp, founded Expressive Arts Florida, LLC.  In 2010, Expressive Arts Florida Institute was created as a vehicle to educate others to become Expressive Arts professionals. Kathleen and Tamara Teeter Knapp are now co-owners and core faculty of EAFI.

Kathleen is fully dedicated to introducing others to the positive healing power of the Expressive Arts.  She is a practicing visual artist, with a special interest in Mandalas. Her work has been exhibited in various venues, including Cortes Island, B.C., where she spends her summers. Kathleen created the Art as a Healing Practice model, a combination of guided meditation, nature-based practice, visual art, intermodal explorations, writing, and witnessing. As a co-founder and core faculty of Expressive Arts Florida Institute Certificate Training Program, Kathleen co-teaches, with Tamara Knapp, all the core courses in the training. She also offers regular Open Studios, both online and in-person, and a variety of expressive arts workshops and conference presentations.

“I believe that the expression of our authentic creativity is a positive force for healing and peace, in individuals and in our world. Looking deep within to discover our creative wisdom, and learning the skills to make this visible can be a profound experience for both artist and viewer. As an artist, teacher, therapist, and facilitator, my commitment is to stay honest in my own creative expression, and to assist others to do the same. This is a journey that can move us through our resistances, fears, and wounded places; a discovery process that allows our unique creative wisdom to be unearthed, honored, and witnessed. When we share ourselves from our most authentic creative place, we offer to the world our unique sacred vision.”

Tamara is co-founder and Core Faculty of Expressive Arts Florida Certificate Training Program and a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant Educator (REACE®). She serves as REACE® Co-Chair with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and is a National Certified Counselor working as a registered mental health counselor intern in the state of Florida.

Tamara Teeter Knapp earned an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Antioch University and a B.A. in Art and Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2007, Tamara earned a Certificate in Art and Healing from Ringling College of Art and Design. Prior to that, she received Waldorf Teacher Training at Rudolf Steiner College and acquired a teaching certificate in the state of Florida for K-12 Art and Elementary Education. She has received special training in Creative Drama for Creative Learning provided by the Kennedy Center for the Arts and completed Collaborative Leadership Training in 1998 through Antioch New England.

An educator since 1997, Tamara taught in Waldorf schools in Alaska and New Mexico before relocating to Florida. In public education since 2002, Tamara taught art, expressive arts, computer technology, and second grade in Sarasota County School District. She also taught art summer camp at the Art Center Sarasota for five years and has served as adjunct faculty at Ringling College of Art and Design teaching Discovering Creativity for children ages 5-11. Throughout her teaching career, her special interest has been to integrate the arts and facilitate curriculum connections that broaden the child’s understanding of themselves and the world. Tamara enjoys sharing her passion for arts integration with educators who seek to enliven their curriculum.

Tamara’s first creative love was dance. Throughout her education, she continued to seek dance training and performed with “Voices” Dance Ensemble at the University of Alaska Anchorage for three years. She also performed the duet “Box for a Brighter Side” with Susan Joy Share, a sculptural book binder, for two years. Beginning in 1983, Tamara received private instruction in drawing and has continued throughout her life to express herself through the arts.  At California College of Arts and Crafts in the late 1980’s, Tamara discovered the field of Expressive Arts Therapy and her passion for working with art to help others was born.  Tamara met Kathleen Horne and Victoria Domenichello-Anderson in Sarasota in 2001 and began using expressive arts processes like Touch Drawing to heal and grow.  At the onset of the Art and Healing Certificate program at Ringling College, Tamara resumed a journey toward a career in the expressive arts and has not looked back since.

In 2007, Tamara joined with Kathleen, Victoria, and Elizabeth Bornstein to form Expressive Arts Florida. As a creative partner in Expressive Arts Florida, Tamara has been able to work collaboratively with educators to bring expressive arts to children with Autism as well as create a unique opportunity in our community for people without homes to create art and transform their experience of being homeless.

Tamara applies knowledge of creative drama, dance, movement, and visual art to her work with children and adults. She facilitates using each of these processes in a non-threatening, spontaneous, and fun way that helps participants construct a new understanding of themselves and those around them. She works with adults, children, and families focused on self-expression, communication, and wellness. As a counselor, Tamara utilizes expressive arts to help clients access their own inner knowing to initiate healing and positive growth.